By making simple changes in our daily lives we can help reduce energy consumption, conserve water, and divert waste to minimize our environmental footprint and save money. The City’s Tower Renewal program engages building owners, staff and residents to improve older apartment towers and the neighbourhoods that surround them. More information can be found at www.toronto.ca/towerrenewal

Recently, Tower Renewal launched a Green Champions program to train apartment residents in conservation awareness. These residents, aka the Green Champions, engage their peers and neighbours in conservation actions through workshops, activities, and information booths. We encourage apartment residents to team up with their property manager, owner, condo board and local agencies to build a green team that will last well beyond the program. Free resources for building your very own Green Champions team will be available on the City’s Tower Renewal webpage. These include:

• Conservation awareness guides for energy, water and waste
• Activity booklets and templates for energy efficiency, water conservation and waste diversion
• Green Champions monthly newsletter with conservation tips and links to jobs in the green sector

We asked the Green Champions to share some conservation tips they use in their apartments:

Energy Efficiency

• Unplug phone chargers, small appliances and other devices when not in use and use power bars to reduce the usage of phantom power.
• Make sure to turn off the lights whenever you leave any room.

Water Conservation

• Keep a pitcher of water in your fridge for easy access to cold water instead of running the tap.
• Fill your sink with water when washing dishes instead of running the tap to rinse.

Waste Diversion

• Use reusable bags and containers to shop instead of plastic bags or cling-wrap.
• Reduce contamination in your recycling by cleaning out recyclable containers.